Capital Area Transit (Raleigh)

GoRaleigh is the transit system responsible for operating most of the public transportation services in Raleigh, North Carolina. The system operates 38 fixed routes throughout the city's municipal area and operates several regional/express routes in partnership with GoTriangle, the regional provider. GoRaleigh was previously contracted to operate an additional route in the Town of Wake Forest, a local circulator service which was replaced by "Go Wake Forest" a microtransit pilot program in October 2024.

Capital Area Transit, also known as CAT, was rebranded to GoRaleigh in 2015 under the consolidated GoTransit, a joint branding of municipal and regional transit systems for the Research Triangle. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of .

GoRaleigh is currently developing a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, covering approximately 20 miles with dedicated bus lanes for faster, more reliable service. Key features include traffic signal priority, frequent service, off-board fare collection, and specialized buses for higher capacity and easier access. The first line is expected to open by 2028, with the New Bern Avenue Corridor set to begin construction in 2025 and complete by 2028. Other corridors are also in various stages of development.

History

Early days

Previous to the GoRaleigh system, Carolina Power & Light Company provided public transit to the city, starting in 1886 with mule-drawn vehicles and covering routes in of central Raleigh. In 1891, the mule-drawn service came to an end, and the electric streetcar service began. The streetcars served several routes, covering about of the city. Due to rapid advances in automotive technology at that time, in 1933 all electric streetcar services ended, replaced by gasoline-powered buses. Ridership remained strong until the 1950s, when the popularity of private vehicles began to reduce transit ridership nationwide.

* 1881–1894 – Raleigh Street Railway
* 1894–1908 – Raleigh Electric Co.
* 1908–1921 – Carolina Power & Light Co.
* 1921–1925 – Carolina Power & Light Co. (Electric Bond & Shares Co.)
* 1925–1946 – Carolina Power & Light Co. (National Power & Light Co.), operating from 126 N. West Street, Raleigh
* 1930s – streetcars discontinued
* 1946–1950 – Carolina Power & Light Company (CP&L).
* 1950–1958 – White Transportation Co.
* 1958–1975 – Raleigh City Coach Lines (City Coach Lines, Inc.)
* 1975–2015 – City of Raleigh/Capital Area Transit
* 2015–present – City of Raleigh/GoRaleigh

In the mid- to late 20th century, CP&L ended its operation of transit services in the city, and the current publicly owned Capital Area Transit system was created. Capital Area Transit formerly rebranded its system to GoRaleigh in 2015.

Five-year plan

In 2002, Capital Area Transit (CAT) spent $200,000 to hire consultants to come up with a five-year plan to improve public transit in Raleigh. At that time, most bus schedules were ten years out of date. It wasn't until fiscal year 2006 that the city council gave CAT the additional funding needed to begin implementing year one of a five-year plan. At the start of the fiscal year 2007, Raleigh City Council gave CAT the additional funding needed for year two of the five-year plan (which took effect on bus routes in January, 2007).

Despite the city budget providing CAT with additional funding for year three of the five-year plan for the fiscal year 2008 (July 2007-June 2008) and additional funding for year four of the five-year plan for the last quarter of the fiscal year 2009, these changes were never implemented because tax revenues had been lower than expected and the funds were not available.

The city budget for the fiscal year 2010 notes that "The FY 2010 budget represents the implementation of delayed transit services from last year... year three of the Transit Plan will begin January 2010 and will result in reduced headways on Route 15 Wake Med, a new route in Southeast Raleigh, and a series of other small service changes." However, the implementation of these changes continues to be delayed due to budget shortfalls.

In May 2008, the North Carolina Board of Transportation awarded CAT with $3.5 million for 13 additional buses (which CAT received in June, 2009) and $2.8 million to purchase land and design a new administration building and garage, which is now located on off of Poole Road. Additionally, $7.6 million of stimulus money has been awarded to CAT towards the garage. In May 2011, the new facility was opened.

On August 6, 2017, GoRaleigh expanded its Sunday service as described in the first round improvements of the Wake County Transit Plan ().

Current system

Layout

GoRaleigh provides public transportation to areas known colloquially as inside the beltline and outside I-440, as well as contracted service to the Town of Wake Forest and to Wake Tech Community College. The system operates on a hub and spoke-style layout, with most routes beginning and ending at the newly renovated GoRaleigh Station, formerly known as Moore Square Station, in downtown Raleigh. The "L" routes circulate through an area or operate as a cross-town route and link with one or more "spoke" routes. The "X" routes are express routes which operate non-stop or with limited stops along the body of the route. Stops on these routes are generally available only at the beginning and end points of the route. Longer distance routes are operated by the intercounty GoTriangle system.

GoRaleigh publicly posts its General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data so riders can easily plan their trips using services such as Google Transit in Google Maps. GoRaleigh also supports the Transit App that offers real-time bus location through its GPS equipped fleet and crowdsourced data.

The R-Line

:''See main article R-Line (Capital Area Transit).''

The R-Line began service on February 13, 2009. The route is served by three specially designed hybrid-electric buses, powered by bio-diesel fuel. The route resembles an inverted U, with 13 stops in the downtown area. Service frequency is every 15 minutes. In order to maximize frequency two buses operate on the circulator route at all times, while one bus serves as back-up in the event of mechanical failure. The R-Line is a free circulator service. The service was suspended from January 2021 to May 2024.

GoRaleigh Station

Renovations to GoRaleigh Station, formerly known as Moore Square Station, were completed May, 2017. What was once a cavernous tunnel that lacked informational signs was transformed into a spacious terminal with additional seating and LCD monitors that provide real time bus arrival information. The station is accessible to pedestrians from Blount Street, Hargett Street, Wilmington Street or Martin Street and features a centrally located information and ticket booth staffed by GoRaleigh employees.

The bus station was re-designed to accommodate more buses and more riders as a result of the Wake Transit Plan, which county voters approved in 2016. The station currently serves 35 bus routes per day and nearly 80 buses per hour during peak hours. The station is designed to support up to 150 buses per hour once the Wake County Transit Plan () is fully implemented.

Fares

The basic fare is $1.25 one-way, beginning July 1, 2024. There are several discount and pass programs.

Routes

This list refers to all existing GoRaleigh routes in service as of March 2025. Refer to GoRaleigh for more info.

2028 bus rapid transit (BRT)

To improve transit efficiency and reliability, the Wake County Transit Plan includes approximately 20 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) infrastructure—the first of its kind in the county. The first line of the GoRaleigh BRT system is expected to be in operation by 2028. BRT involves creating dedicated bus lanes on local roads, which allows buses to bypass traffic and stay on schedule. Key features of the system include:

* Dedicated bus lanes to prevent delays and reduce collision risks.
* Traffic signal priority, helping buses stay on time even if running late.
* Frequent service, with buses running every 15 minutes and live GPS updates at stations.
* Off-board fare collection to speed up the boarding process.
* Raised platforms for easier boarding, especially for passengers with mobility aids.
* Specialized buses designed for higher capacity and easier access, with doors on both sides and lower floors.

The four identified BRT corridors and their current statuses as of April 2025 are the: New Bern Avenue Corridor (Raleigh Boulevard to WakeMed), Western Corridor (Raleigh to Cary), Southern Corridor (South Wilmington Street towards Garner), and Northern Corridor (Capital Boulevard to Triangle Town Center/Midtown).

New Bern Avenue Corridor

This corridor is the furthest along in the implementation process. Following years of planning and design—from a Major Investment Study in 2018 to final design and right-of-way acquisition in 2022—the New Bern Avenue BRT held a groundbreaking ceremony on November 7, 2023. A pre-construction meeting is scheduled for spring 2025, with construction expected to begin in summer 2025 and be completed by late 2028.

Western Corridor

The project is currently in the final design phase, progressing from 30% to 100% design. Public engagement opportunities are scheduled for spring and summer 2025. In fall 2024, the corridor was submitted to the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program. A rating, which will influence future federal funding, is expected in 2025.

Southern Corridor

Also in the final design phase, the Southern Corridor received a "Medium High" rating from the FTA in 2023 and was recommended for federal funding in the President’s proposed budget to Congress. Public engagement on the final project design is set to resume in spring/summer 2025.

Northern Corridor

This project is nearing the end of its Major Investment Study, expected to be completed in late 2025. Public engagement regarding possible route alignments will begin in spring/summer 2025.

Funding

For FY 2010, CAT's operating budget was $15,439,636, a 1% decrease from the previous fiscal year's budget of $15,596,444. This ended a four-year streak in which CAT had seen an increase in funding to meet the demands of the five-year plan. Of CAT's budget, $10,369,966 is from the city, with additional funding coming from the state, passenger revenue (estimated farebox revenue for FY 2010 is $2,480,623, but it is unclear whether this includes bus pass sales or GoPass contracts, as in past city budgets this was separated), and miscellaneous sources (such as grants and advertising).

Ridership

According to the Raleigh City budget for the fiscal year 2010, ridership levels averaged over 14,000 each business day, up from 13,000 for the fiscal year of 2008, 11,000 in 2005 (when gas prices began to climb after Hurricane Katrina), and 8,000 in 2002.

Other transit services in Raleigh

GoRaleigh Access

GoRaleigh Access, formerly Accessible Raleigh Transportation (ART), is the City of Raleigh's transportation service for people with disabilities. GoRaleigh Access programs help ensure an outstanding quality of life for everyone in the City of Raleigh. GoRaleigh Access enables eligible persons to access public transportation. GoRaleigh Access trips are eligible for paratransit service only if the trip begins and ends within 3/4 miles of a GoRaleigh bus stop.

GoTriangle

GoTriangle (formerly Triangle Transit or the Triangle Transit Authority), is a regional transit service that connects Raleigh with neighboring cities, suburbs, Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Research Triangle Park. GoTriangle also organizes a vanpool program serving the Research Triangle metropolitan region.

Wolfline

The Wolfline operates nearly a dozen routes that serve the NCSU (North Carolina State University) community and surrounding areas in west Raleigh. In addition to serving NCSU students, faculty and staff, the Wolfline system is available for use by the general public.

Pepsi Caniac Coach

The Pepsi Caniac Coach are shuttles that provide transportation between Downtown Raleigh and North Hills restaurants to the PNC Arena on Carolina Hurricanes gamedays and other events at the arena. The two routes started in 2013 due to a lack of public transit to the arena. The service is free for diners who purchase Pepsi-branded beverages at participating restaurants.

Long distance transit services

The city of Raleigh is also served by Amtrak by train, Raleigh-Durham International Airport by air and Greyhound by bus.

References

External links

*{{Official website
Information on City of Raleigh website

Bus transportation in North Carolina
Transportation in Raleigh, North Carolina